Turkey: Issuance of a passport to a child born outside Turkey to Turkish parents; information on the renewal process of Turkish passports for Turkish citizens abroad (2016-November 2018)
1. Issuance of a Passport to a Child Born Outside Turkey to Turkish Parents
In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Turkish government's Consular Call Center explained that the Turkish parents of a child born outside Turkey must first register the child's birth in order to obtain a Turkish Identity Card before they can apply for a Turkish passport (Turkey 14 Nov. 2018).
1.1 Birth Registration
In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Turkish embassy in Ottawa explained that, in order to register a child's birth with the Turkish authorities, the parents must book an appointment with the embassy or consulate [on the Turkish government's Consular Procedures website] (Turkey 16 Nov. 2018a). According to the Consular Call Center representative, the Turkish parent or parents must provide the following documents:
- Original birth certificate issued by the authorities in the country of birth;
- The parents' marriage certificate;
- Original copies and photocopies of the parents' Turkish IDs and, if necessary, of the foreign ID [if one parent is not a Turkish citizen] (Turkey 14 Nov. 2018).
Without providing further details on the process to issue an Identity Card, the same source explained that once the birth is registered, a Turkish Identity Card will be issued for the child, and the parents can then apply for a Turkish passport for the child (Turkey 14 Nov. 2018).
1.2 Issuance of the Child's Passport
The Consular Call Center representative explained that in order to apply for a Turkish passport for a child born abroad to Turkish parents, the parents must schedule an appointment online with the embassy or consulate (Turkey 14 Nov. 2018). The following documents must be provided to apply for the child's passport:
- a [translation] "biometric photograph (with white background) taken within the last 6 months";
- the child's Turkish Identity Card;
- a letter of parental consent, [translation] "issued and approved by a notary public," although "relevant documents duly prepared in the presence of a passport officer can be used in lieu of a letter of consent" (Turkey n.d.).
In written correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Consular Section of the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa explained that the passport application will be transmitted electronically to the "passport issuance center" and that parents will receive the passport through the intermediary of the Turkish representation abroad (Turkey 16 Nov. 2018b). According to the Consular Call Center representative, a child passport is valid for five years (Turkey 14 Nov. 2018).
2. Renewal of a Passport for a Turkish Citizen Abroad
According to the Turkish embassy representative, in order to obtain a new passport, a Turkish citizen must schedule an appointment with the embassy [or consulate] online (Turkey 16 Nov. 2018a). In written correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Consular Section representative explained that applicants seven years of age or older must present themselves in person to provide fingerprints (Turkey 16 Nov. 2018b). According to the same source, in order to renew their passport from outside the country, the Turkish citizen must provide the following documents:
- previous passport;
- "National ID Book" or Identity Card; and
- one "biometric photo" (Turkey 16 Nov. 2018b).
The representative of the Consular Section explained that the passport application is transmitted electronically to the "passport issuance center" (Turkey 16 Nov. 2018b). According to the Turkish embassy representative, the passport is issued within 10 days and is valid for between 6 months and 10 years [1] (Turkey 16 Nov. 2018a). According to the same source, the applicant can choose to pick up the passport in person [at the embassy or consulate] or have it mailed to them (Turkey 16 Nov. 2018a).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Note
[1] The passport's period of validity varies according to the fee paid (Turkey n.d.).
References
Turkey. 16 November 2018a. Telephone interview with a representative of the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa.
Turkey. 16 November 2018b. Correspondence from a representative of the Consular Section of the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa to the Research Directorate.
Turkey. 14 November 2018. Telephone interview with a representative of the Consular Call Centre.
Turkey. N.d. Consular Procedures. "Passport." Excerpts translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018]
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; Turkey – Embassy in Washington; UN – Refworld; US – Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs.